Understanding that emotions, particularly strong ones that are felt by one person are also anticipated, tracked and felt by those close to them, helps us to wrap our minds around why those we live with have such an impact on both our minds and our bodies. Why, when there is pain or tension or anger in the room, our gut tightens up or why we can't keep a straight face when someone we love is laughing.

We have become a country of "quick fix" types. I encounter this a lot in clients. They want to get better now, soon, fast. They don't want to have to go through much feeling bad in order to feel good. They want the pain to stop. I often work with addicts who are used to reaching for a substance like drugs or alcohol or a behavior like sexual acting out to manage their moods.

Nature has built natural "anti depressants" right into our bodies that we can activate whenever we need to. It is remarkably easy to attain a "feel good" state if we just adopt a few proactive habits and keep them going. Here's what these "natural antidepressants" can do for us.

Recovery begins with a restoration of hope but soon evolves into a new design for living. One that expands the dimensions of our souls.

Developing the skills of emotional literacy in which we bring our emotions into balance through a simple but challenging process of feeling them and translating them into words so that they can be reflected upon inwardly and outwardly, is what allows us to become emotionally balanced and sober people.

Has excess become the new norm? Are we losing a sense of what it means to lead balanced lives? Are we living too much on the edge for our own good, overextending not only financially but emotionally, psychologically, and physically as well?

Does it get Elliot Spitzer off the hook if we call him a sex addict as many fear it might? Are we becoming so overly health conscious that we are calling every out of control, abusive or salacious behavior an addiction? Or is sexual addiction a serious disease on the rise?

Do you use substances or engage in compulsive activities to regulate your mood? Do you reach for something sweet, a couple of drinks, or a pack of cigarettes after a difficult day because you can't unwind without them? Do you race to the stores to spend away the day's frustrations or run around in circles taking more time to get less done? If these self-defeating habits sound familiar, Emotional Sobriety will shed light on why and how these coping mechanisms threaten your health and impact resilience.

Broad swings, from one end of the emotional, psychological, and behavioral spectrum to the other, all too often characterize the addicted family system. But why does this happen?